We need real cold now.

Photo copyright aji, 2026; all rights reserved.

Sunset this evening, a crimson sun and a smoky horizon. No clue where the smoke is from; nothing's been announced, but then, half the time, it never is.

It's supposed to be cooler tomorrow, but that's what they said about today, and instead, it was a dozen degrees hotter than the projected high. And still no hard freeze in the forecast, which means that the chamisa is still blooming as well as going to seed, and my eyes itch so badly it's driving me insane.

We need real cold now. 

And while I'm wishing for things we won't get, I'd like a few more hours in the day and time to get my work done before midnight. This week is going to leave me no spare time for anything, and next week is looking like the same.  

And I've still got to bring in a lot more sales through the end of the year. This year has been hellishly expensive already, and we've also got some other big-ticket things to take care of this month, and that only happens if we make some sales now. And we can still use help with shares, testimonials, wishlist stuff I can't get to yet, etc. To that end, links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here [I've added a couple new items, things we could really use but that I can't justify spending money on right now, like some sheets; haven't gotten to the towels or anything else yet];
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

And we do still need to make those regular weekly sales, so please share all of the links. We really do need to get this year onto a better footing than the last two, a year that, so far, has been very grim.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2026; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

The Crimson Glow of Autumn's Bonfire

Photo copyright Aji, 2026; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a work created in and for the cold season, a necklace for winter's bonfire that suits the reds of fall just as well. It's a cascading strand of red jasper flame, with smoky quartz and the golden shimmer of Labradorite, together evoking the crimson glow of autumn's bonfire, too.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. We still have to ensure that we break even on the year, and that begins with a minimum of one sale a week, without fail.

 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2026; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Not a cloud in the sky this morning.

Photo copyright Aji, 2026; all rights reserved.

Not a cloud in the sky this morning — hard to believe, given that our entire world here was shrouded in gray before down, not a spot of black or blue, not a star visible anywhere. 

Depending on which weather service you believe, it got up to 81 or 82 today. Our own thermometer registered at least 81. Yes, we usually get a warm spell about now, but this is too warm. I guess we should be glad it's not in the 90s, like it has been in some recent years [::knocks wood superstitiously so as not to jinx it::].

I've been at it all day long, and I haven't even made a dent in my to-do list. I'm spending way too much time fundraising for other people, and not enough on the work I need to be doing each day. tomorrow has to be different; there isn't a choice. October starts the silly season every year when it comes to his work, and normally this is the time of year I start pulling 16-hour days, 7 days a week. The problem is that for a few years now, I've been pulling 16-hour days, 7 days a week, all year round. I'm already exhausted.

And I've still got to bring in a lot more sales through the end of the year. This year has been hellishly expensive already, and we've also got some other big-ticket things to take care of this month, and that only happens if we make some sales now. And we can still use help with shares, testimonials, wishlist stuff I can't get to yet, etc. To that end, links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here [I've added a couple new items, things we could really use but that I can't justify spending money on right now, like some sheets; haven't gotten to the towels or anything else yet];
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

And we do still need to make those regular weekly sales, so please share all of the links. We really do need to get this year onto a better footing than the last two, a year that, so far, has been very grim.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2026; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Fall's Waters, Storm, and Sky

Photo copyright Aji, 2026; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a work in a classic traditional style, one for this land at any season, but especially now. It's one of Wings's newer necklaces from The Beaded Hoop Collection, manifest in the shades and spirits of fall's waters, storm, and sky.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. We still have to ensure that we break even on the year, and that begins with a minimum of one sale a week, without fail.

 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2026; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

A flawlessly clear sky this morning.

Photo copyright Aji, 2026; all rights reserved.

Snow on the peaks, and a flawlessly clear sky this morning. First time in days, and much more like fall usually is here. It was warmer than it should've been, but at least the wind still carried that cooler edge. Plenty of color on the peaks and slopes now, too.

This week . . . today has been just another day at the same absurd pace, hence why everything's this late again. It's getting really old, but there are just ever enough hours in the day, and that's only gotten worse over the last two years with the creation of the group.

I've got about five different people to get back to about commissions for him; about the same number of orders to get packed and shipped [the latter of which now can't happen until Monday]; and two absolutely enraging examples of bureaucratic bullshit involving state errors and fuckery to deal with.

And I've still got to bring in a lot more sales through the end of the year. This year has been hellishly expensive already, and we've also got some other big-ticket things to take care of this month, and that only happens if we make some sales now. And we can still use help with shares, testimonials, wishlist stuff I can't get to yet, etc. To that end, links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here [I've added a couple new items, things we could really use but that I can't justify spending money on right now, like some sheets; haven't gotten to the towels or anything else yet];
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

And we do still need to make those regular weekly sales, so please share all of the links. We really do need to get this year onto a better footing than the last two, a year that, so far, has been very grim.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2026; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Friday Feature: The Conspiracy of Clarity, Light, and Lengthening Dark

Photo copyright Aji, 2026; all rights reserved.

It's our Friday Feature at The NDN Silver Blog, with a pair of vintage-style masterworks that capture the beauty and power of autumn here. It's two extraordinary necklaces, both wrought in traditional styles, one strung with the dawn sky and the other, the ancient water spirits that carved this earth, together forming the conspiracy of clarity, light, and lengthening dark that is the very heart of fall.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. We still have to ensure that we break even on the year, and that begins with a minimum of one sale a week, without fail.

 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2026; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

October first, and fall is fully here.

Photo copyright Aji, 2026; all rights reserved.

That was this morning: sun, clouds, snow on the peaks, fog at the base. It won't look like much in this small form, but click to enlarge it, and you'll see how beautiful the effects were.

October first, and fall is fully here. 

It also gave us a little excitement this morning, in the form of our very own Jimothy visitation. Actually, this raccoon [a first; we've never seen one right here before] was perfectly healthy, just flopped in the branches halfway up the aspen on the right, just out of the shot. Up there, he could stay away from the dogs. He stayed there maybe an hour, slowly moving down through the branches a level or so every now and then, and when we had them all occupied [and thus weren't watching him] he made a break for it.  Successfully.  He was a big fat little dude, fat tail, healthy-looking, apparently happy enough except for the mutts baying at him from the ground.

Today has been nonstop, hence why I'm at everything so late. You know, again. Tomorrow will be more of the same, and I have no reason to expect that the weekend will be any different at this point. On top of everything else I ahve to deal with right now [and it's fricking legion], this marks the start of our busiest season, prepping for the holidays, so I'm going to be short on sleep for the next three months.

And I've still got to bring in a lot more sales through the end of the year. This year has been hellishly expensive already, and we've also got some other big-ticket things to take care of this month, and that only happens if we make some sales now. And we can still use help with shares, testimonials, wishlist stuff I can't get to yet, etc. To that end, links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here [I've added a couple new items, things we could really use but that I can't justify spending money on right now, like some sheets; haven't gotten to the towels or anything else yet];
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

And we do still need to make those regular weekly sales, so please share all of the links. We really do need to get this year onto a better footing than the last two, a year that, so far, has been very grim.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2026; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

#ThrowbackThursday: Earth's Transition From Blue Skies to Storm

Photo copyright Aji, 2026; all rights reserved.

It's #TBT at The NDN Silver Blog, with a featured work that dates back nine years almost exactly, to October of 2017, and a commissioned work from one of Wings's longest-running signature series. It's the Warrior Woman, here as both pin and pendant combined, one of elemental power to embody the earth's transition from blue skies to storm now.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. This work will never be duplicated, but if the style speaks to your spirit, simply inquire via the site's Contact form; Wings can create a version uniquely your own.  We still have to ensure that we break even on the year, and that begins with a minimum of one sale a week, without fail.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2026; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

 

And we're the lucky ones.

Photo copyright Aji, 2026; all rights reserved.

The last day of September, and it was all clouds and fog and storm. It was beautiful. It was also powerful, and I mean that literally as much as metaphorically. It's still raining out there  now, at nearly 10:30 at night, and after three days of this, it's now at the point where it's pooling on the surface of the ground, and everything's running with rivers of mud.

And we're the lucky ones. There are mudslides blocking the pass to Red River, rockfalls south in the Canyon, apparently a landslide north of Albuquerque, a dam failure predicted down in Doña Ana County, and a bridge failure between Magdalena and Socorro that has the road closed both directions, and the only detour is an extra 287 miles. Yes, you read that right. Two hundred and eighty-seven extra miles. People don't realize what distances really are out here.

But today's been a day. It was San G at the Pueblo, but we weren't going anyway, and definitely not in this weather. We had to get labs done, both of us [preparatory to finding new docs], I had to pick up a referral, and there were other tasks that couldn't wait, especially given the messy weather. The good news is that apparently not only was my referral already transmitted to the new rheumatologist; she apparently had already asked for, and also had already gotten, my medical records transferred, too. So presumably that means that all I have to do tomorrow is call up and schedule a first appointment.

Today was busy enough, and chaotic enough, to keep my mind largely off the markers.  Nineteen years ago this afternoon, we had to say goodbye to our first dog jointly, BearGirl. It was brutal [and entirely unnecessary, but certain folks were negligent, and by the time we found out, it was too late]. She was a big, beautiful Newfie, and I held her across my lap on the ground while Ted handled the injection, Wings petting her constantly. I still remember the very first day I arrived up here, when she and Hunter saw me drive and came barreling across the north field at me, and tried to climb into the car under my feet. They let me know right then, in no uncertain terms, that I belonged to them now.

There are better markers, too, but right now, all the current stresses seem to be crowding them out. At least part of them medical stuff is resolved, but we've got a half-dozen other major things to resolve, too, mostly external crap that should have nothing to do with us, but bureaucrats . . . .

And I've still got to bring in a lot more sales through the end of the year. This year has been hellishly expensive already, and we've also got a couple of other big-ticket things to take care of this month, and that only happens if we make some sales now. And we can still use help with shares, testimonials, wishlist stuff I can't get to yet, etc. To that end, links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here [I'll be adding some new items soon, things we could really use but that I can't justify spending money on right now, like some sheets and towels];
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

And we do still need to make those regular weekly sales, so please share all of the links. We really do need to get this year onto a better footing than the last two, a year that, so far, has been very grim.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2026; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Fall's Blue Skies and Sunlight

Photo copyright Aji, 2026; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a work for the more ordinary conditions of this time of year, and for the dance of the dawn spirits that has remained veiled from view on recent mornings. It's an extraordinary necklace wrought in a classic figurative style and set with eight separate gems, a reminder that, current weather notwithstanding, fall's blue skies and sunlight are never actually far away from us.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. We still have to ensure that we break even on the year, and that begins with a minimum of one sale a week, without fail.

 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2026; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Red Willow Spirit: When Earth Meets Sky In Shadow and Light

Photo copyright Wings, 2026; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's an edition of Red Willow Spirit for these final days of September, for the events they mark, and for the space and place and season that is the focus now. It's three spectacularly apt images linked by two related works of wearable art, all of them capturing that moment when earth meets sky in shadow and light.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. We still have to ensure that we break even on the year, and that begins with a minimum of one sale a week, without fail.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2026; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

All rain, all the time.

Photo copyright Aji, 2026; all rights reserved.

That was this morning, with fog drifting through a break in the rain on the slopes. We've had a couple such breaks, but it's been mostly all rain, all the time.

It's supposed to be all rain, all the time past midnight tomorrow night, too [meaning Thursday morning].

Out of order tonight because today has been a day, in none of the good ways, and I haven't even gotten to my real work yet. Tomorrow will also be a mess, starting first thing in the morning. I've had no time to chase sales, or help in the studio, or anything, and my skyrocketing pain levels are not helping with any of it.

And I've still got to bring in a lot more sales through the end of the year. This year has been hellishly expensive already, and we've also got a couple of other big-ticket things to take care of this month, and that only happens if we make some sales now. And we can still use help with shares, testimonials, wishlist stuff I can't get to yet, etc. To that end, links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here [I'll be adding some new items soon, things we could really use but that I can't justify spending money on right now, like some sheets and towels];
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

And we do still need to make those regular weekly sales, so please share all of the links. We really do need to get this year onto a better footing than the last two, a year that, so far, has been very grim.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2026; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Weirdnesses.

Photo copyright Aji, 2026; all rights reserved.

All sorts of weirdnesses today:  brilliant dawn rainbow in the southwest [once unheard-of, at time of year, time of day, or direction]; asperitas clouds in the north and east at mid-morning; a gigantic storm system overhead now, one unlikely to budge all night.

I guess this is that Super El Niño the media have treated like clickbait. 

I would be very happy, though, to have fewer weirdnesses health-wise, but I don't think, at this point, that that's ever going to improve. The weekend was so bad, I don't even have words for it. Today as chemo day, and I upped my dose again, because clearly the lower one's not cutting it, and that may be why I managed a little better today, despite it making me feel generally crappy overall. This was not the time ot lose my doctor, or my medical practice, but here we fucking are.

I can't be this sick. I mean, I can't. I don't have time. I've got too much to do every damn day as it is, but everything just keeps getting worse and worse. And I've still got to bring in a lot more sales through the end of the year. This year has been hellishly expensive already, and we've also got a couple of other big-ticket things to take care of this month, and that only happens if we make some sales now. And we can still use help with shares, testimonials, wishlist stuff I can't get to yet, etc. To that end, links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here [I'll be adding some new items soon, things we could really use but that I can't justify spending money on right now, like some sheets and towels];
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

And we do still need to make those regular weekly sales, so please share all of the links. We really do need to get this year onto a better footing than the last two, a year that, so far, has been very grim.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2026; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Monday Photo Meditation: The Autumn Sun That Lights Clay and Wood and Earth Alike

Photo copyright Wings, 2026; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a Monday Photo Meditation for this final work of what the world knows as September, for celebratory traditions of abundance that the outside world fails to notice. It's a photo that Wings shot on film some fourteen years ago, in October of 2012, capturing the priceless beauty of the autumn sun that lights clay and wood and earth alike.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. We still have to ensure that we break even on the year, and that begins with a minimum of one sale a week, without fail.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2026; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

A change in the weather.

Photo copyright Aji, 2026; all rights reserved.

First indications of a change in the weather. We also have a flash-flood watch from noon tomorrow into Wednesday morning.

Again. 

::Sigh:: what a miserable weekend. Every day, I've felt worse than the last.  And every day, I've had to spend time on what other people want instead of what I intended to do. I've gotten literally nothing accomplished that I had planned to get caught up this weekend, and this week is going to be a problem.

Add to that that not only do I not feel better, I actually feel very much worse, and . . . I can't be this sick. I mean, I can't. I don't have time. I've got too much to do every damn day as it is. And I've still got to bring in a lot more sales through the end of the year. This year has been hellishly expensive already, and we've also got a couple of other big-ticket things to take care of this month, and that only happens if we make some sales now. And we can still use help with shares, testimonials, wishlist stuff I can't get to yet, etc. To that end, links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here [I'll be adding some new items soon, things we could really use but that I can't justify spending money on right now, like some sheets and towels];
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

And we do still need to make those regular weekly sales, so please share all of the links. We really do need to get this year onto a better footing than the last two, a year that, so far, has been very grim.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2026; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Rain, Descending Steps From Sky to Earth

Photo copyright Aji, 2026; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a work for the ancient architecture of place, and for the conundrum of how the sky becomes the rain. It's a pair of earrings in an old traditional style, capturing the beauty and power of that rain, descending steps from sky to earth.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. We still have to ensure that we break even on the year, and that begins with a minimum of one sale a week, without fail.

 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2026; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Always oil your spurs.

Photo copyright Aji, 2026; all rights reserved.

Reminder from Wings: Always oil your spurs; you never know when you'll need them.

That's an old, OLD pair, and they're beautiful. Taking care of them is part of the reason. Which is true of most things.

I had hoped to get a bunch of things done today, including sorting a bunch of beads for him for his next round, but no. My pain levels today are absolutely impossible. Left wrist began dislocating last night, but now the pain is up my forearm and down to my fingertips. The fingers are curled into claws, because everything is spasmed and foreshortened; there's a bulge on the underside of my wrist where either tendon or ligament is out of place. My right shoulder is in constant agony from the rotator-cuff tear and sublux, and my feet are, too, from the permanently dislocated metatarsals and tendon pain in the heel.

This is my daily life now. I never have a moment's respite, and I never will. But sure, tell me all about "people" being hypochondriacs and whatever. I'm so tired of ableist assholery.  Every single thing I accomplish is in spite of my illnesses and pain, and this week [which was supposed to be a week off, but no], I've accomplished a hell of a lot . . . for other people. We've raised thousands of dollars for folks in emergency situations this week, but sure, tell me about how I don't work, too. 'Fuck's sake.

If I don't feel a whole lot better tomorrow, I'm not going to be able to do anything. And I can't be this sick. I mean, I can't. I've got too much to do every damn day as it is. And I've still got to bring in a lot more sales through the end of the year. This year has been hellishly expensive already, and we've also got a couple of other big-ticket things to take care of this month, and that only happens if we make some sales now. And we can still use help with shares, testimonials, wishlist stuff I can't get to yet, etc. To that end, links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here [I'll be adding some new items soon, things we could really use but that I can't justify spending money on right now, like some sheets and towels];
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

And we do still need to make those regular weekly sales, so please share all of the links. We really do need to get this year onto a better footing than the last two, a year that, so far, has been very grim.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2026; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Fall Reflections

Photo copyright Aji, 2026; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a work for unsettled and unseasonal days, one created in spring to inspire us to reflections on the thaw, but apt for autumn, too. It's a pair of earrings built around spectacular cabochons of ocean jasper set into frame-like bezels, perhaps intended to remind us that fall reflections are also a desperately needed use of our time and efforts now.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. We still have to ensure that we break even on the year, and that begins with a minimum of one sale a week, without fail.

 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2026; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

 

A slow-moving storm.

Photo copyright Aji, 2026; all rights reserved.

This afternoon, an hour or so before the weather actually arrived. It was a slow-moving storm until it got here, and then it blew through here at record speed. Of course, it dropped a hell of a lot of water with it for the short time it was here.

Right now, they're saying no rain tomorrow or Sunday, but they said that about today, too, and that was obviously very wrong. So we'll see what the weekend actually brings, but as always with predictions, we'll believe it when we see it.

Regardless of the weather, my whole weekend is overloaded before it even gets here. Of course, so was this whole week, the week I was supposed to be taking off fundraising for my health, but that was made impossible, so . . . . 

And I feel just as terrible now as I did then, but I can't get a break from any of it. And I can't be this sick. I mean, I can't. I've got too much to do every damn day as it is. And I've still got to bring in a lot more sales through the end of the year. This year has been hellishly expensive already, and we've also got a couple of other big-ticket things to take care of this month, and that only happens if we make some sales now. And we can still use help with shares, testimonials, wishlist stuff I can't get to yet, etc. To that end, links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here [I'll be adding some new items soon, things we could really use but that I can't justify spending money on right now, like some sheets and towels];
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

And we do still need to make those regular weekly sales, so please share all of the links. We really do need to get this year onto a better footing than the last two, a year that, so far, has been very grim.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2026; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Friday Feature: Wildflowers Against a Stormy Autumn Sky

Photo copyright Aji, 2026; all rights reserved.

It's our Friday Feature at The NDN Silver Blog, with a pair of works created wholly independently of each that nonetheless seem very clearly to belong together. It's a necklace built around a rare material and a pair of earrings strung with similar beads, both capturing the striking beauty of wildflowers against a stormy autumn sky such as we have had, unusually, in recent days.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. We still have to ensure that we break even on the year, and that begins with a minimum of one sale a week, without fail.

 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2026; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.